Kukla's Korner Hockey

“He can play in the NHL,” Chiarelli added, “but circumstances dictate that he probably won’t.”
At least not now, because even Chiarelli — a lawyer who rarely rules out anything — insists that Zinovjev, despite his rock-star status in Russia, isn’t worth $5 million in the NHL right now.
“No, he’s not, because he’s unproven,” Chiarelli said. “He’s proven himself over there and makes a lot of money, but he’s unproven over here.”
Assuming they can’t sign Zinovjev, the Bruins still would like to get something in return before their NHL rights to him expire on July 1, 2008. That could mean packaging the rights with an established player — goalie Hannu Toivonen comes to mind, especially if the B’s are as certain as everyone else about the bright future of 20-year-old Finnish sensation Tuukka Rask — and get a proven NHL talent in return from a rival team.